The VCGLR had told Crown to start recording how many millions of dollars each high-roller was betting during “junket” gambling tours at Crown by July 1,2019,to address the risk their anonymity was enabling money laundering. But by May 2019 it was apparent Crown had taken no steps towards implementing that,prompting Mr Cremona’s letter.
Mr Cremona said he received a phone call the next day,on May 23,from Crown representative Michelle Fielding,who told him the group’s then chief legal officer Joshua Preston was “furious” and would probably “call the minister to complain”.
“I was clearly taken aback by the tone,the aggressive nature,” Mr Cremona told Commissioner Ray Finkelstein,QC,in the inquiry’s second day of public hearings. “Referencing calling the minister is almost like:well we take offence to what you said and we are going to take action.”
Commissioner Finkelstein asked if Mr Cremona thought Crown’s intention was to get the VCGLR to withdraw its requirement for Crown to act on the recommendation.
“Yes to an extent,” Mr Cremona responded. “But I was pretty solid in my position... there was no evidence Crown was taking any action to address recommendation 17 in line with our expectations.”
Mr Preston left Crown last year after being grilled for several days at the NSW Bergin inquiry,which found the company wasunfit to hold a casino licence in part because it had facilitated money laundering at its Melbourne and Perth casinos. There is no evidence Mr Preston did call Victoria’s gaming minster,which at the time was Marlene Kairouz,who stepped down from cabinet last year afterThe Age and 60 Minutes reported on her involvement in a branch-stacking scandal. Ms Fielding remains at Crown in a senior legal role.
Ms Kairouz,in a statement posted on Twitter,said she could not recall ever meeting Mr Preston and maintained a policy of having no informal contact with Crown staff. “Any form of ministerial or political intervention preventing the VCGLR performing its function as a regulator would be highly inappropriate,” the statement said.